driver headlight much dimmer than passenger headlight

[Shrillcaleb153]

My passenger side headlight both lows and highs are brighter than my driver side headlight, I have had to replace the socket on the driver side once or twice and I think the bulb a time or two too. How can I fix this? I want to install leds so I can actually see at night, i dont want a socket issue or something ruining my new bulbs

[Bookworm]

My passenger side headlight both lows and highs are brighter than my driver side headlight, I have had to replace the socket on the driver side once or twice and I think the bulb a time or two too. How can I fix this? I want to install leds so I can actually see at night, i dont want a socket issue or something ruining my new bulbs

Check the connections. It sounds like you have a minor short, which is reducing the power available to the driver's side.

When you look at installing brighter headlights - think about the people you're blinding. You're not the only one on the road.

[andrewclaus]

There may be corrosion (increased resistance) in a connection somewhere. Since headlights draw a reasonable amount of current, that may mean that connection is getting hot, and may fail soon. This may be why you've had to replace sockets. If so, I'd look for the reason and fix that. Is a liner or cover missing, allowing water and dirt into the socket?

I'd check wire splices and ground points. A volt-ohm meter and wiring diagram would be needed for this. A non-contact IR thermometer may help, too.

My wiring diagram does not show any obvious common connections between the high and low beam circuits, so I don't see an obvious place to start.

And I have to ask the obvious--is the headlight lens clean? And have you tried changing bulbs from side to side?

[cptnsolo77]

Could be as simple as a aging bulb OR foggy headlight lense. I would check the condition of the headlights first....if good swap out the bulb like one member said.

[jolt]

When replacing the socket, be sure to buy a quality socket ( ceramic sockets hold up to heat the best ). The wire splice must be soldered. Shrink tubing the soldered wire splice to prevent the splice from going bad. Use a inline splice joint and then solder the joint and finish with shrink tubing to cover.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Master ... everytime/

You can check the voltage and the amp draw at each light and compare the readings. Bad connections or slice joint can cause lower voltage and/or poor current, which will cause the lamp to be dimmer.

[Shrillcaleb153]

There may be corrosion (increased resistance) in a connection somewhere. Since headlights draw a reasonable amount of current, that may mean that connection is getting hot, and may fail soon. This may be why you've had to replace sockets. If so, I'd look for the reason and fix that. Is a liner or cover missing, allowing water and dirt into the socket?

I'd check wire splices and ground points. A volt-ohm meter and wiring diagram would be needed for this. A non-contact IR thermometer may help, too.

My wiring diagram does not show any obvious common connections between the high and low beam circuits, so I don't see an obvious place to start.

And I have to ask the obvious--is the headlight lens clean? And have you tried changing bulbs from side to side?

Yeah the headlight housings are clean.. one place had it fixed for a month or two but then it went out again. Like when the light Is on you can barely see it

20191123_223218.jpg (374.83 KiB) Viewed 2950 times

(Heres a pic, sorry took me awhile to reply I took a break from this)

[zbyers]

What bulbs are you running? Perhaps if they are low quality bulbs they are the issue? Or have you tried swapping those around, and confirmed it is indeed the wiring?

Did you solder in a new ceramic connector?

[SlammedNiss]

Have you ever ran aftermarket bulbs that were over the OEM recommended wattage? If so, you might have damaged the plug. I had to solder new connectors on both of mine because it basically melted them from higher wattage bulbs. if the connectors look ok use a multimeter and check the voltage at each headlight. If they both show virtually the same voltage, then it's likely the bulb. Have you tried swapping the bulbs with each other? You could also run a temporary ground to the driver side plug to see if that fixes the issue. Keep in mind when if you do that, your DRL will run at full brightness because of how the car controls the DRL.

In a case like this, you have to just start some trial-and-error elimination until you find the problem.

[Shrillcaleb153]

ill try switching them.. im not quite sure what bulbs are in there right now. the bulbs in there now im pretty sure are the ones installed by the mechanic i went to fix the issue. i will need to get a multimeter to check the levels..